The longest (and arguably least-loved) traditional Christmas carol is The Twelve Days of Christmas, with its exhaustive shopping list of gifts offered by a true love to the vocalist of the song. (Significantly, nearly all the presents are animals or individuals– which appears a little sketchy!).
What’s the story behind the tune? And what’s with all the birds? Get all the responses to the Twelve Days of Christmas secret you’ve probably been seeking..
There have been some variations for many years (initially, the calling birds were in some cases canary birds or colley birds, implying blackbirds), but the existing common list of gifts are:.
Day 1: A partridge in a pear treeDay 2: Two turtle dovesDay 3: Three French hensDay 4: Four calling birdsDay 5: Five golden ringsDay 6: Six geese a-layingDay 7: Seven swans a-swimmingDay 8: Eight maids a-milkingDay 9: Nine women dancingDay 10: 10 lords a-leapingDay 11: 11 pipers pipingDay 12: 12 drummers drummingThe 62 Best Christmas Gifts of 2024.
What are the origins of The 12 Days of Christmas carol?
The actual 12 days of Christmas period in between Christmas Day and Epiphany (January 6), which traditionally were often a period of rest, feasting, collecting with loved ones, and general merrymaking..
The tune itself was initially documented in the 1780 book, Mirth Without Mischief, and was likely a video game for kids– where you needed to sing up until you slipped up, then pay the price with a sweet or other token when your memory failed. Numerous historians believe that the tune in fact came from in France before transferring over to England, as evidenced by the addition of partridges (which were native to France, and didn’t show up in England until the 18th century).
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What do the 12 Days of Christmas gifts indicate?
There have been theories around that the presents in the tune correspond to various parts of the Catholic tradition (i.e. the 2 turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments), but Snopes and other historians have actually unmasked that– especially as the earliest claims of this tie-in go back to the 1990s..
Half of the gifts explained are birds (and some historians believe that the “5 golden rings” may actually be a recommendation to the golden rings around a pheasant’s neck also)..
They may not have actually been keeping those birds for pets. (And that was all framed in pastry and served with other roasted birds and bunnies surrounding it!).
Roast goose stayed a popular Christmas feast (think about Ebenezer Scrooge’s goose gift to the Cratchits in A Christmas Carol) and Queen Victoria was partial to roasted swans (another Twelve Days of Christmas tie-in)..
And the other half of the presents? “If you believe of all the things being provided, they’re all presents from a lover to a lady,” Phinney stated in a 1990 interview in the Los Angeles Times. “It looks like a young man attempting to impress his meant by charming her with many presents.
How many alternative variations of the 12 Days of Christmas exist?
A lot– as this is a song that’s ripe for parody. The Muppets variation of the Christmas carol (with John Denver!) is a classic, along with SCTV parody by the McKenzie Brothers, which offers turtlenecks and beer instead of turtle doves and partridges. And there’s constantly The 12 Pains of Christmas, by Bob Rivers, which chronicles all the problems with creating a contemporary Christmas– like batteries not consisted of and rigging up the lights..
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Plus, this tune has actually had global appeal for centuries, as people in Scotland, France, Sweden, and other locations have had their own variations of the Christmas carol, (And to be honest, the French version, which includes 12 excellent cheeses and 11 great hams sounds quite scrumptious!).
How much would it cost to give someone the Twelve Days of Christmas presents?
A lot! Every year for the past 38 years, PNC Bank releases its Christmas Price Index, which tallies up how much it would cost to offer your real love the complete “Twelve Days of Christmas” experience. If you provide simply as they appear in the tune, it will cost you almost $200,000 to wow your true love– or $41,000 if they’re given as a one-off present. (That made Andy Bernard’s attempt to provide Erin Hannon the complete Twelve Day treatment on the 2009 “Secret Santa” episode of The Office particularly generous– if incredibly ill encouraged!).
When are the 12 Days of Christmas exactly?
The 12 days of Christmas in fact start on Christmas Day, and last until Epiphany (AKA Three Kings Day) on January 6th. In theory, you should not begin singing the 12 Days of Christmas carol until Christmas Day appropriate.
